Ouaddou delivers bold title message after draw

Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou delivered a defiant title message after his side failed to beat Durban City, leaving them unable to surpass Mamelodi Sundowns in the Betway Premiership standings. Despite Sundowns finishing their campaign with a 3-2 defeat to TS Galaxy, Pirates found themselves with another opportunity to overtake the reigning champions in their final game scheduled at ORBIT College. The Buccaneers earned a total of 66 points after a goalless draw with Durban City but remained two points behind Sundowns. A victory in their final match is now a prerequisite for securing their first league title in 14 years.

Ouaddou expressed admiration for the performance of Durban City while confidently asserting his belief that his team can secure the title in their next match. "I said at the middle of the season that probably the title will be played until the end of the season, the last game," he stated during an interview with SuperSport TV. "So, let’s go and take it to be champion in the last game, I think it’s possible.

"You see that the spirit, the sport spirit is there – Durban came here and played. I like it; it keeps the suspense for the football lovers in South Africa. It’s the magic of the PSL.

"I’m not worried to be honest. I can be disappointed because we didn’t win, and we wanted to offer this victory to our fans. It didn’t happen. Let’s go and take it next week."

Ouaddou acknowledged that his team exhibited signs of nerves during the second half of the match but reiterated his supportive message to the players. "We have the third-youngest team in the PSL. To play this event, they know that in 14 years Pirates didn’t win the title, it’s normal that it creates some stress in the head," he continued. "You can see in the second half that the choices sometimes were not the best.

"I just want to say to my boys, ‘go take this title in the last game, and we will do it.’"